2018-19 La Rivista Magazine - La Scuola International School

La RIVISTA

Anno Scolastico 2018-19

1

LA SCUOLA

FROM THE HEAD OF SCHOOL

La RIVISTA 2018-2019

2 From the Head of School 3 Admissions 4 Diversity at La Scuola 5 Math Curriculum 8 MYP Candidacy 9 Faculty Profiles 10 Strategic Goals 12 La Dolce Vita 2019 14 Ambassador Ensemble 18 New School Site

Cari Amici,

As my 12th year at La Scuola comes to an end, I continue to marvel at how

20 Reggio Emilia

far La Scuola has come. Thank you for supporting La Scuola on our journey

24 Open to the World

Independent school! Can you believe that we will graduate our first 8th grade

25 La Scuola Families

from a small playgroup into a PreK-8 Reggio inspired, IB, Italian Immersion class next year?

This past school year, we were recognized as one of only two Scuola

Parificata (recognized by the Italian Government) in the US, completed the

process to become an IB MYP (International Baccalaureate for the Middle Years) candidate school and we were able to secure a permanent site for the growth of our K-8 program!

Grazie to you, our annual fundraisers, the Annual Fund and La Dolce Vita

gala, were once again successful, and allowed us to raise our tuition assistance budget allocation and to offer it to 33% of our families as we continue to strive be a more inclusive, equitable and diverse school.

At La Scuola, students are the protagonists of their own education. They are

encouraged to be inquiry-driven independent thinkers, communicators and to find their own unique path in life. When children are open to the world there’s no limit to their ability to learn across subjects, cultures, and languages.

The unique educational experiences we wish to offer could not happen without

our talented and committed teachers, dedicated leadership and administration team, our vibrant community of parents and our inspiring La Scuola students.

Please read ahead to hear more from them all, in their own unique voices.

Nothing Without Joy! Niente Senza Gioia!

Con Stima,

VALENTINA IMBENI, PH.D.

Head of School

ADMISSIONS NEWS as accessible as possible, and to include as many student voices from our local

A LL S CHO O L D IV E R SI T Y S TATIS TICS 2 0 1 9 -2 0 2 0

passionate about our partnership with

LA N G U A G E S : 3 4

to welcome two SMART scholars to our

G E O G RA P HIC Z IP CO D E S : 4 0

and global community. Therefore, we’re the SMART Program and we’re excited middle school and to our community.

ADMISSIONS

The next school year will mark an

important milestone for La Scuola, as

HOW DO YOU build a vibrant and

diverse community? How do you create a warm and inclusive school culture that celebrates children who are at ease in a

multilingual and multicultural environment?

We start by being Open to the World.

La Scuola's admissions team, faculty

and

staff

hold

open

houses,

tours

and educational events across three campuses: Preschool, Elementary and

Middle School. We open our doors to interested families and let them experience

how students benefit from an education

that is highly engaging, child-centered and international.

One highlight this year is our growing

partnership with the SMART (Schools, Mentoring,

and

Resources

Team)

Program. “SMART is a comprehensive

eight-year program that provides lowincome students in San Francisco access to an exceptional education and the skills needed to thrive in college and in life. A twice-weekly after-school program provides SMART students with the skills to

we’ll be graduating our first 8th grade class in June 2020. We know our future

graduates possess a deep respect for humanity and the world in which they live.

We believe they are prepared to thrive in a process-based, collaborative world. They

are inquiry-driven, independent thinkers

TU ITIO N A S S IS TA N C E ( A LL S CHO O L) : 2 3 % TU ITIO N A S S IS TA N C E ( K- 8 ) : 3 3 % E THN ICITY ( N O N - WHITE ) : 3 6 % LG B TQ : 3 %

who communicate effectively and are

comfortable finding their own way. We can’t wait to see what high schools our students

will choose to continue their educational

journeys. What we know is that they are

equipped to contribute to any community they decide to join.

At La Scuola, we believe children are

competent, creative, resilient and beautiful, and we put our hearts and minds towards creating an educational experience that

prepares them to be empathetic world citizens, ready and able to shape a better future.

Come

experience

La

Scuola

first hand by joining us for a tour this fall

and winter!

DUNJA SOLARI

Director of Admissions

succeed in academically rigorous schools and in life through tutoring, mentoring, and

a curriculum designed to bolster them academically

and

social-emotionally.”

The SMART Program has proven itself as a tremendously effective organization

with a 100% high school graduation rate and exceptional college admissions. At La Scuola, our goal is to make our school

AT LA SCUOLA, WE BELIEVE CHILDREN ARE COMPETENT, CREATIVE, RESILIENT AND BEAUTIFUL...

3

DIVERSITY AT LA SCUOLA economic diversity. There were nine areas

of

priority

concern

primarily

focused on diversity (enrollment, faculty

and staff) with emphasis on race and ethnicity. Other areas of concern were

ensuring that single parents feel included and supported in our community and not allowing a few vocal parents to

change the school policy. We shared

the results with the community to ensure

DIVERSITY, EQUITY AND INCLUSION AT LA SCUOLA

W

full transparency and to guide our next steps.

We dug deeper and had multiple

meetings with the community to get

more qualitative insights, understand

what they value about diversity, equity and inclusion and explore the results of

E ARE VERY PROUD of the

progress we’ve made this year in

diversity, equity, and inclusion committee

(DEI) thanks to the engagement of our committee

members

and

the

the survey further. We synthesized the discussions and derived a set of goals focused on the following themes: 1.

entire

La Scuola community. In typical La Scuola fashion, we started the year doing our research. We embarked on the Assessment of Inclusivity and Multiculturalism (AIM) climate survey, a survey designed by the National Association of Independent

inclusiveness

on

2.

and

approach

to

across all constituents (students, board, faculty,

staff

and

parents)

providing

statistically significant insight from the community.

Overall

the

results

were

very encouraging with 36 responses in

the “healthy” range and many of them

exceeding the results of high performing schools. The highest rating of all was “school

leaders

are

friendly

and

approachable,” clearly not surprising.

Many of the positive results point to good

morale, inclusivity, positive environment

and caring teachers and staff. There were two areas of high priority concern, the diversity of the board and the school’s

ability to work effectively with socio-

4

respect to African American (1%), Latino

(8%), and Asian (7%) students, as well as our LGBTQ families (3%), and we will continue to focus on these areas.

Many years ago, La Scuola embarked

on this journey of identifying and creating

a shared understanding of diversity,

equity and inclusion at La Scuola.

As we transition to an action phase,

we will continue to learn and evolve our thinking, seek feedback regularly,

and adjust our actions accordingly.

We realize the importance to call out

equity specifically and as a result we

professional development for faculty

Equity and Inclusion.” We are excited to go

of DEI, consistent integration of DEI

Grazie mille for all your input and please

and staff and shared understanding

on this journey together as a community.

into the curriculum, and curation of

keep it coming!

Improve inclusion: reach out to propose actions as well as pursue

climate,

multiculturalism. We had great participation

We need to improve our diversity with

service learning opportunities.

community

school’s

our families coming from 40 zip codes.

“Diversity and Inclusion” to “Diversity,

and

resources for community education.

emphasis

the

see a broad reach across the city with

outcomes:

understanding

with

of

families being non-white. We continue to

changed the name of the committee from

single parents to identify needs and

impressions

in our ethnic diversity, with 36% of our

Improve equity and social justice

Schools (NAIS) to gauge the attitudes and

tuition assistance. There is an increase

3.

Provide better transparency and communication of DEI activities:

review DEI definition on website,

integrate regular DEI updates to our website, Bollettino, parent coffees, Town Hall and Curriculum Nights.

LAMA NACHMAN

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee Co-Chair, La Scuola Board Member

We started acting on many of these

initiatives and we already started seeing

some of the results. Two SMART students selected La Scuola next year and told us how inclusive the environment felt when

they toured the school. We are hoping that this is the first step to many more students

as we establish a strong connection with SMART. Also we are excited to see our

tuition assistance continue to increase, with 33% of our K-8 families receiving

DAVID DONAHUE

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee Co-Chair, La Scuola Board Member

MATH CURRICULUM IB PYP Math Inquiry + Singapore Math curriculum = Right Fit The power of mathematics for describing and analysing the world around us is such that it has become a highly effective tool for solving problems.

International Baccalaureate(IB) Primary Years Programme (PYP)

COMPLEMENTARY MATHEMATICS HERE AT LA SCUOLA, students in K-8 learn and practice math concepts and skills every day, and students think through a math lens throughout their International Baccalaureate PYP units of inquiry: Who we are, Where we are in place & time, How we express ourselves,

How the work works, How we organize ourselves and Sharing the planet. Data handling, measurement, shape & space, pattern & function and number sense are PYP mathematics strands through which students view and make sense of the world, and our educators

guide and encourage their inquiry. La Scuola selected Singapore Math to support this growth, and we are completing our first formal

year of implementation. Singapore Math is a highly successful math program, ranking at top and/or among the top countries in world on international math tests since 1995.*

WE ARE NOT TEACHING MATH, WE ARE TEACHING THINKING THROUGH THE MEDIUM OF MATH. Dr. Yeap Ban Har, Singapore Ministr y of Education PROCESS In Singapore Math, students are introduced to

a concept; they practice the concept, and they immediately apply the concept through problem

solving in class. Problem solving and thinking

logically are at the heart of the Singapore Math

curriculum. In her teacher training sessions and parent education evening at La Scuola this academic year, consultant Beth Curran

DEFINITION: Complement, complementary The word "complement" is related to the word "complete," and comes from a

Latin word "complere" meaning "fill entirely." "Plere" in Latin means fill, and "com" is an intensive prefix, meaning "do it all the way." "Complement" is "something that completes, makes up a whole, or brings to perfection." A complementary angle "completes" a right angle (90 degrees). Mathforum.org

REFERENCES

introduced Singapore Math as “a conceptually-

• Beth Curran, Math Champions: Teacher training & Parent Education

students’

•

based program that really works in developing Number

solving skills.”

sense

and

problem-

evening at La Scuola International School August 2018 & February 2019

•

Jo Boaler, math professor extraordinaire at

Stanford University and an early influence on

La Scuola’s K-8 math program, states, “Number

Sense is the most important aspect of all high

IBO.org, PYP Mathematics Scope & Sequence, 2018 Jo Boaler, Stanford University & Youcubed.org: Educator event at St.

Ignatius School, 2015

•

OECD.org/pisa (Organization for Economic Cooperation & Development)

•

National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM 2000)

level math.” She walks us through an example of mastery of addition, a number sense concept:

At the start, addition knowledge takes up a large space in brain, but then it gets compressed over time. That knowledge is compressed and

gets filed away, to recall quickly. We can only compress concepts, not methods.

IF YOU CAN PUT MATERIALS IN FRONT OF STUDENTS AND THEY CAN HANDLE THEM, THEN THEY WILL BE ABLE TO VISUALIZE THEM AND IT HELPS THEM TO MAKE SENSE OF THE ABSTRACT. Beth Curran, Math Champions 5

Grade 3 students organize place value discs—concrete materials—to explain and solve for multiplication and fraction addition challenges.

PICTORIAL (VISUAL) At La Scuola, teachers consistently lead students through a Concrete -

Pictorial - Abstract progression when introducing math concepts. Singapore

Math fully develops the idea of the pictorial stage: teach students to visualize

the mathematics, drawing pictures and building bar models. Beth Curran emphasizes that way pictorial representation is the essential connection between the concrete and abstract. When students miss out on a visual understanding, we lose half of our thinkers, shares Jo Boaler.

LOWER ELEMENTARY

LEARNERS ARE ABLE TO APPLY THEIR UNDERSTANDING OF MATHEMATICAL CONCEPTS AS WELL AS UTILIZE MATHEMATICAL SKILLS AND KNOWLEDGE. International Baccalaureate(IB) Primar y Years Programme

TIME This all takes time for concept and skills mastery, and Singapore Math has designed a coherent curriculum, focusing in depth of units, over breadth. Students have more time on fewer mathematics concepts—when a

student can slow down, they are able to think carefully and deeply. Students are also learning to organize their thinking, developing their executive functioning.

UPPER ELEMENTARY BIG IDEAS AND CONNECTIONS Similar to IB Primary Years Programme and the Italian Ministry of Education—

our defining curricula at La Scuola—Singapore Math also identifies the big ideas in mathematics. When students complete the elementary Singapore curriculum, Beth Curran shares, they will have strong number sense and can: •

visualize the mathematics, communicate mathematically,

•

generalize,

• •

explain their thinking,

make connections in math,

• •

apply their knowledge to unfamiliar situations, think through problems ,

• •

understand the processes they are using,

choose the most reasonable or effective strategy to solve a problem.

Furthermore, the Singapore Math sequence helps students to make

connections across concepts. For example, the concept of decimals is built on an in-depth understanding of fractions.

6

Area, moving from pictorial to abstract.

MATH CURRICULUM MASTERY An essential aspect of Singapore Math is

teaching is mastery. Students practice until they have achieved mastery of a concept

Student survey class, collect, organize and represent data.

and then they apply it. The Singapore Math

teaching model has three phases that students are constantly moving through.

UNDERSTANDING: working through concretepictorial-abstract progression, and practicing,

CONSOLIDATING: practicing for fluency,

lots of games going on in the classroom, workbooks, homework. “They’ve abstracted it,” describes Beth.

Grade 4 students analyses and reflects on real world, global data during inquiry with classmates.

TRANSFERRING: applying that math through problem solving.

All the while, teachers are assessing to

determine where students are. The model is wonderfully complementary to IB Primary

Years Programme (PYP) understanding of how children learn mathematics: Constructing,

Learning, Transferring meaning into symbols and Applying with understanding.

In the Primary Years Programme, mathematics is viewed primarily as a vehicle to support inquiry, providing a global language through which we make sense of the world around us.

International Baccalaureate(IB) Primary Years Programme (PYP)

CONSTRUCTING UNDERSTANDING, SOCIALLY At La Scuola, through our Reggio Emilia

Similarly,

Singapore

Math

focuses

on

child. They encourage student participation

understand what’s going on in their head

and independent thinking. In mathematics,

Beth Curran shares, “Students understand

highly effective class discussions about a

problem, so when the math gets harder, they

to the diversity of students ideas, teachers

situation.” La Scuola has designed a right

think about a math expression—and write/

Mathematics framework and Singapore Math

approach, teachers hold a high image of the

metacognition—the idea that students can

in

openness

as they are working through a problem.

this might reveal itself in Number Talks,

what processes they are using to solve the

mathematical expression or concept. Listening

can apply that understanding to the harder

collect one to six (or more) different ways to

fit with the IB Primary Years Programme

draw the ideas on the board. Number talks

Curriculum, complementary mathematics.

and create positive mathematical pathways ,

Lower School Director

class

discussions,

fostering

are a totally freeing approach to mathematics promoting mental math and flexible thinking.

ALL STUDENTS DESERVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO UNDERSTAND THE POWER & BEAUTY OF MATHEMATICS. National Council of Teachers of Mathematics

SALLY MEEHAN PETERSON

7

MIDDLE SCHOOL NEWS

IMPLEMENTING THE MIDDLE YEARS PROGRAMME

L

A

SCUOLA

entered an exciting

new phase of growth this year with

Design teacher Chiara Fornetti agrees,

“At the middle school level, students need

the implementation of the International

to have more structure and understand

Programme

pioneer

then use these skills and concepts to do

Primary Years Programme (PYP) to the

the students the possibility to be more

teaching and learning changes that meet

learning process. I can teach a concept, but

adolescent learners.

through action.”

Years

that there is a base in every subject, and

class of grade 6-7. The move from the

interdisciplinary inquiry. The structure gives

Middle Years Programme brings many

independent. It puts them at the center of the

the

young

then it’s the students’ job to deepen it

change

Implementation of the MYP is a multi-year

Baccalaureate

For

(IB)

(MYP)

developmental students,

the

in

Middle our

needs

of

biggest

came in the organization of learning. PYP

process. As teachers and students, we

students engaged in transdisciplinary units

are adapting to a new learning framework

perspective of multiple disciplines at once.

continuous practice. Music maestro Carl

eight different subject areas, with planned

things differently, and it’s pushing me

of inquiry, researching topics from the

and deepening our understanding through

In contrast, MYP students do research in

Dean reports: “It’s making me think about

interdisciplinary inquiries per year.

to look at the bigger picture, in terms of

Says grade six student Alessandra

Salleo, “I like all the different classes we have. It’s more interesting to me this

sequence of skills and outcomes. It’s an opportunity to grow.”

In the year ahead, we will bring Physical

year because we are able to go deeper.

Education

and

Health

into

the

MYP

work, using a lot more scientific equipment,

of inquiry in all eight of the subject areas,

studies, we are looking more carefully at

inquiry that will allow students to contribute

arguments. We are making our arguments

school campus.

In science, we are doing a lot more hands-on

framework, continue to develop new units

and aiming at a lot more precision. In social

and work on new interdisciplinary units of

multiple sources to construct more careful

to the development of the new Mission

more believable.”

students’ work and it is well worth it,” says Middle School parent Claudia Volpi.

One thing that has not changed with

the implementation of the Middle Years

Programme, however, is our Reggio Emilia

approach to learning—high expectations

of students, a deep trust in student voice and autonomy, an openness to authentic discovery as we move through the inquiry

cycle, and an abiding sense of the importance of the environment to learning.

On this last point—environment as third

teacher—the middle school response to this Reggio Emilia principle is to embrace the

neighborhood, community, and city as key elements for learning. From a climate strike

on the streets of San Francisco to research in the public library, students have taken

their learning out of the classroom and into real world contexts throughout the year. A signal advantage of this embrace of a more

inclusive understanding of the learning

environment is that with the closure of

campus for the summer vacation, students’

independent inquiry can carry on, wherever their summer plans take them.

The MYP element that parents have

The new disciplinary focus in MYP has

commented on most frequently is reporting

too. The biggest change has probably

MYP report card is that more than just a

assessment criteria. “It’s been clearer

I see it as a tool that identifies areas for

says Italian as an Acquired Language

from term to term and allows space for

clear what the key skills are for language

specific feedback that allows both the

really systematically.”

road map to move forward with. I can see

brought significant changes for teachers,

on learning. “What I love most about the

been the implementation of the required

report with letters and percentages; rather,

in terms of structure and organization,”

improvement, tracks progress and growth

teacher Melina Madrigal. “It’s always been

the teacher to provide meaningful, child-

acquisition, but the MYP organizes these

student and their parents to have a clear

8

product of a teacher’s reflection on their

that it is a thoughtful and time-consuming

DOUGLAS LOWNEY

Middle School Director & IB Programmes Coordinator

FACULTY HIGHLIGHTS

ALICE MERLI

VALENTINA SANTACATERINA

GRANDISSIMI ARANCIONI TEACHER

KINDERGARTEN VERDI TEACHER

B

orn and raised among the fog in the province of Milan, fascinated by the world of education, I embarked

upon a university career that guided me first towards elementary education, and later, into preschool education.

I distinctly remember the first time I thought of myself as a teacher. It was a day like any other, during my first few months teaching in a first-grade class. A child, who until

that moment had only been able to read a few syllables, raised his head from his book and exclaimed: “Rosemary,

teacher! Rosemary!” With a few tools and a lot of will and dedication, I was able to contribute to the growth of that child, to whom many elements of the world started

appearing more decipherable, in part thanks to my help.

For me, this is the simplicity of being a teacher: becoming

a family outside of the family, that can support “small lives” and silently prepare them for their futures.

Fast forward a few years, I made the hardest decision

of my life to leave my beloved Italy, my family, and my friends, to start an overseas adventure. I immediately took the opportunity even if this meant rebuilding my life, starting with a small checked suitcase. And then, on a

I

arrived in San Francisco two years ago. I moved to the

United States to follow my husband, Angelo, who had

found work in a small pasta restaurant in the Bay Area.

San Francisco had always been in our thoughts as a

possible goal to realize our American dream and when this

dream came true we were both very excited and happy to start a new chapter of our life.

In Italy, I was always in the world of education. After

graduating from high school in childhood studies I

decided to continue my studies in psychology with a special focus on the world of childhood and the psychosocial development of children. During my university

years, I have always worked as a private tutor and as an assistant educator in pre-school and elementary schools.

After graduating, I started working in a preschool as an

educator and later as a manager in a play area. When the possibility of moving to San Francisco occurred, I immediately started looking for a possible job in the educational world and La Scuola was my destination.

I still remember when I looked at the school's website

Tuesday, I was at La Scuola. I heard familiar words, saw

with admiration and was immediately fascinated by this

environments. It was in this moment that I realized I had

able to teach in my mother tongue, La Scuola immediately

smiling faces, and experienced incredibly rich education

beautiful school. In addition to the possibility of being

to stay.

fascinated me with its Reggio Emilia approach, the

The sensation of working in a unique place never

leaves you at La Scuola: the strength of an enthusiastic group of colleagues, devoted and collaborative families, but more than anything, it is the curious children, full of

stories to share, who made me appreciate this learning community and all of its many facets. That’s why I always

role of the child as the main actor of his educational

experience, and the importance for the environment were

characteristics that made me love this school. Now I'm about to start in my third year as a kindergarten teacher, and I'm looking forward to continuing this wonderful adventure with my Kinderini!

start the school year with a research-oriented and

adventurous spirit, day after day building a welcoming environment, both physically and emotionally, that is rich with opportunities for every child to discover and learn.

9

STRATEGIC GOALS

2018-2023 LA SCUOLA'S STRATEGIC PLAN

I

N THE FALL OF 2018,

the Board and Administration hit the ground running to begin work on the 2018-2023 Strategic Plan. The news is good, the work is plentiful, and as always, we together will continue to build a dream school for our students.

To recap, the plan has 5 key pillars: Permanence, Nurture & Grow, Heart & Mind, Community and Thriveability.

P E RM A N E N CE La Scuola achieved its goal to find a

permanent

campus

that

can

adequately meet the needs of our 21st century students while our community

continues to grow. In November 2018, La Scuola signed a 60-year contract

with the Archdiocese of San Francisco for

the

Mission

neighborhood

campus of a school formerly known

as the St. Charles Borromeo School.

The

campus

consists

of

three

buildings, the first of which is being

refurbished for occupancy in August 2019 by grade 5-8 students and faculty.

We will continue to work with Reggio SERRA FALK GOLDMAN

Governance and Strategic Planning, La Scuola Board of Directors Chair

CLAUDIA VOLPI

Strategic Planning Committee Co-Chair, Marketing, La Scuola Board Member

10

Emilia architecture expert Michele Zini from ZPZ partners in collaboration with local architects Pfau-Long, who

have designed several schools in the Bay Area.

N U RTU RE + GR O W La Scuola continues to invest in our faculty by recruiting and retaining top educators and providing them

with competitive salaries, benefits, and visas if needed, and professional

development opportunities. We also

allow our faculty to nurture their own

interests

and

skills

and

have complex roles that support

their need to grow as educators.

Our teachers are researchers and lifelong learners.

THRIVE A B ILI T Y

CO M M U N ITY

H E ART + M IN D La Scuola students are Open to

At La Scuola our students, faculty,

With La Scuola’s continued growth,

equilibrium

and

Gioia (Nothing without Joy). We

focused on long-term success. This

academic

our various constituents in order

Advancement Office, which will be

diversity, equity and inclusion means

Pelton assisted La Scuola with a

We dug deeper and had multiple

campaign. Mission Minded helped

and recent accreditations such as

more qualitative insights, understand

to articulate its value proposition.

Independent Schools), CIS (Council

and inclusion and to explore the results

trustees, and parents have worked

Years

the discussions and derived a set of

messaging and work is underway

of

understanding and outcomes related

material and internal communications.

Scuola’s recognition as a Scuola

in the community at large; improve

2019. We have also started to offer

by the Italian government as an Italian

transparency

many educators interested in our

opportunity to self-evaluate and to

inclusion discussions.

the World as a result of the subtle

and families live by Niente Senza

the board and administration are

innovation inspired by the Reggio

spent time this year listening to

school year La Scuola created an

challenge

to

led by Shannon Cleary. Graham

Emilia

of

the

approach, of

Baccalaureate

creativity

the

the

International

programmes,

and

define

multiculturalism

and

the cultural enrichment that comes

for us.

feasibility study and preparing for a

Reflection on our programs is constant

meetings with the community to get

La Scuola to define its brand and

the CAIS (California Association of

what they value about diversity, equity

Several

of International Schools), IB-Primary

of the survey further. We synthesized

all year to streamline the school's

Years

overarching goals that will improve our

to update the website, prospective

La

to social justice; increase diversity

We expect to unveil this work in Fall

Paritaria (a school that is recognized

inclusion and that will provide more

professional

school abroad) affords our team the

regarding

unique environment and combination

from learning in a different language.

WASC

Schools

Programme,

Programme (Western and

(in

IB-Middle

progress),

Association

Colleges)

and

incorporate local and international best practices continuously.

and

diversity,

communication equity,

and

faculty,

administration,

development

for

the

of IB and Reggio Emilia approaches.

We are looking for even more creative ideas in the future!

11

LA SCUOLA FUNDRAISING

LA DOLCE VITA2019

12

LA SCUOLA’S SPRING GALA and fundraiser, La Dolce Vita, was another hit! Thanks to the generosity of our parents, friends, and community members we raised a net of nearly $300,000. Thanks to your generosity, these funds, along with the Annual Fund which raised close to $530,000 and $20,000 in other gifts brought La Scuola to over $840,000 in philanthropic gifts! This year, guests descended on a new silent auction space and Taste of Italy experience under the Dome at the Westfield San Francisco Centre while listening to musical duo featuring Kindergarten parent Matt Small. Guests also got to savor small bites from local Italian food purveyors: Ramini Mozzarella, Montesacro, and 54 Mint while Wine Meats Cheese provided the bar alongside Lo-Fi Apertifs.

La Scuola’s own student Ambassador Ensemble opened the evening’s presentation and we were honored to have students from our middle school on stage as our MCs. This year’s event would not have been possible without the time and commitment of our La Dolce Vita Committee: Kate Delimitros, Sara Brown, Andrea Palomera, Lisa Silveria, Gabi Iyer, Cristina Massa, and Margaux Axelrod as well as all of the parent volunteers who helped make our fundraiser a success.

GRAZIE MILLE PER TUTTO QUELLO CHE FATE!

13

MUSIC PROGRAM AT LA SCUOLA INTERNAZIONALE

AMBASSADOR ENSEMBLE 2018-2019 SCHOOL YEAR

EARLY IN 2018, eight children and

I formed The Ambassador Ensemble,

with the purpose of performing as part of La Scuola’s annual fundraiser, La Dolce Vita. After our performance of La

Palumella, a love song from Naples, it was clear that we had put something

special together. We began to expand

our repertoire, but our momentum really began to take off during this current school year.

Our 2018-2019 season began with

a performance at the Italian Heritage

Parade. Someone took a video of our performance on a stage near Saints Peter and Paul Church in North Beach that was passed around the Bay Area

mandolin and Italian music community,

14

and led to our invitation to future events!

Part of our Ambassador Ensemble’s

Saturday evening concert in the lobby of the Flamingo Conference Resort and

evolving mission is to play at La Scuola

Spa. The next CMSA convention is in

event at the site of our new middle

In January of 2019, the Consul

in-house events, such as our fall donor

school campus. This special event

was the first visit to our new campus for many of our students and was their

way of thanking some of those who made the new campus possible.

Josephine Pellegrini, Director of the

Aurora Mandolin Orchestra, invited us

Bloomington, Indiana.

General of Italy, Lorenzo Ortona, invited

the Ambassador Ensemble to perform as part of a knighting ceremony for

chef, author, and activist Alice Waters.

This was a favorite event of ours to

celebrate one of our role models and we hope to organize a trip to Chez

to perform at the Classical Mandolin

Panisse to see Ms. Waters again.

in Santa Rosa on November 17, 2018.

formed, we auditioned and accepted

Society of America’s annual convention Many of our dedicated students and

parents made the drive up to Santa Rosa on a Saturday night, to open the

About one year after our ensemble

two

new

members,

ensemble to ten.

bringing

our

When member of the Italian Senate of

the Republic, Francesca Alderisi, came to visit La Scuola, Head of School Valentina

Imbeni requested we give a private concert.

Senatrice Alderisi was generous with her time, asking us about our program and in what ways she could help the Ambassador Ensemble and our music program grow,

Warming up and chatting in the cantina before the performance at the San Francisco Festival of the Mandolins.

including researching how we can get authentic instruments from Italy. Later that same month, we performed Raffaele

Calace’s Tarantella Napoletana, Op. 18 at our second La Dolce Vita gala.

In April, we performed as part of the

San Francisco Festival of the Mandolins,

a yearly celebration of mandolin music, its history and its future. Our children,

Guest conductor Sheila Ortona conducts Inno di Mameli.

clearly representing the history of the art, inspired the room to a standing ovation with their performance.

Between the writing and publication of

this article, we will have performed at two

more events associated with the Festa

della Repubblica. The first performance on Sunday June 2nd in the Spreckles Temple

of Music (frequently called The Bandshell), and the second on Monday, June 3rd at the Saint Francis Yacht Club, with musicians

from the European Capital of Culture for

During the La Scuola donor event, acclaimed cellist, Evan Kahn, gives an extra oomph to our low end.

2019, Matera, Italy.

Thank you all for your support of the

La

Scuola

music

program

Ambassador Ensemble.

and

Maestro

of

CARLO DEAN

Direttore D’orchestra

While waiting for showtime, mandolinist Luca shows mandocellist Matteo a tune on the mandolin.

"... IT WAS CLEAR THAT WE PUT SOMETHING SPECIAL TOGETHER..."

15

After the knighting ceremony, Ms. Alice Waters, fellow knight Ms. Valentina Imbeni, Consul General Ortona, Ms. Sheila Ortona, and Ambassador Armando Varricchio pose with Maestro Carlo Dean and the Ambassador Ensemble.

Our group of now ten musicians posing with Senatrice Alderisi and Head of School, Ms. Imbeni.

16

MUSIC PROGRAM AT LA SCUOLA INTERNAZIONALE

MUSICIANS

MADELEINE, mandolin (Concertmaster) LUCA, mandolin (Assistant Concertmaster) ALESSANDRA, mandola KEENAN, mandola OLIVIA, guitar ISABELLA, guitar FELIPE, guitar MATTEO, guitar LEO, bass guitar CHIARA, bass guitar

Immediately before showtime at LDV we pose for a new group photo.

Moving the crowd and their Maestro during our 20 minute performance.

17

WHAT'S NEW?

La Scuola

NEW SCHOOL SITE

PERMANENCE. A dream of La Scuola since the beginning. To build a place that furthers the magic of our community, spaces and programs. The vision of having our own Reggio Emilia-inspired K-8 campus has become a

reality, and we now have the opportunity to connect La Scuola with our new multicultural Mission community and neighborhood.

We have signed a 60-year lease with the San Francisco Archdiocese, that

comprises three buildings that are part of its St. Charles Borromeo properties at South Van Ness and 18th Street: 3250 18th Street, 3270 18th Street and 741 South Van Ness. Our plans are to completely

renovate two existing historical buildings, St. Charles School and San Carlos Hall, as well as to erect a new building around the shared outdoor environment with St. Charles. These three buildings will together make up our future K-8 home!

As with many development projects of this magnitude, construction will be phased—and we have

already begun! This August, our 5th- through 8th-graders will attend school at our interim Mission

Campus, a fitting move for the 2019-20 school year as we graduate our inaugural class of soon-tobe 8th- graders. Our interim scope of work includes seismic and safety upgrades, refreshed atelier

and classroom spaces, new kitchenette and improved facilities, re-imagined greenspace, indoor and outdoor beautification, and beyond.

Inspirational renderings of entry ramp at ground floor level and spaces for early drop off and informal study.

18

Conceptual drawings of buildings of new La Scuola school site.

And while the road to finding our new home has been long, the journey is really

just beginning—and, as always, the journey is the exciting part! We have engaged

Pfau Long Architecture, local Bay Area experts in school architecture and the

restoration of historical buildings, and ZPZ Partners/Michele Zini, our longtime Italian architects and leaders in the Reggio Emilia approach, to help us create our

permanent site. Our team speaks daily and meets weekly with the Board Facilities Committee as we shape the future of our new home.

In true La Scuola form, we let big dreams guide us on our journey. This fall, we

held multiple visioning sessions with our parents, students, faculty and staff to

help us imagine the most effective, engaging and beautiful learning environments possible. We, of course, work hand-in-hand with our architects and many

consultants to marry our visions with considerations of cost, feasibility, and, most especially, goals for learning at La Scuola.

Many of our community members have

toured the new site as-is, and we look

forward to the unveiling of our interim middle school campus this fall. We are no stranger

to multiple campuses, and adding a third site affords our school and our students

more experiences, more interactions and more opportunities. We are so fortunate to now be part of the vibrant Mission

community, which has welcomed La Scuola as we have forged relationships with our neighbors through community meetings

and events such as the Mission’s annual Cinco de Mayo Festival. As we embrace

those around us, they embrace us too; a

new home, in a new neighborhood, as we open ourselves to the world.

ROBIN BONASO

Director of HR and Operations

19

REGGIO EMILIA

REGGIO/IB WORKSHOP ON MAY 9TH AND 10TH La Scuola

had

the

honor

of

hosting

Educators Workshop: Within

the

Primary

the

Reggio

Years

Visiting

Inspiration

Programme

(PYP) Framework, presented by Educational Consultant, Anne van Dam.

development

is

an

improve their knowledge and skills so they can help students achieve. When educators learn,

students

learn

more.

Anyone

concerned about their students’ futures

Anne van Dam is an international educator

will want to support a cycle of continuous

Switzerland in a variety of roles; as a teacher, PYP coordinator, assistant

has a role in ensuring that educators can take

travelled the globe to work with schools, facilitate workshops, and present

Parents and citizens must demand and

Primary Years Programme.

development that result in better teaching,

who has worked in schools in the Netherlands, China, Singapore, and

professional growth for educators. Everyone

principal and school director. As an independent consultant she has

part in effective professional development.

at conferences. Anne is experienced with the International Baccalaureate

support intensive, high-quality professional

Attendees from all over the world joined us for a two-day workshop to

learn about a Reggio Emilia-inspired pedagogy within the Primary Years Programme framework. Our visitors had the opportunity to visit and work at

both our preschool campus, and at our Fell Campus. These couple of days were packed with thoughtful discussion about PYP and the educational

approach of Reggio Emilia and how they intersect and complement each other. Before their departure, they also had the opportunity to visit the La Scuola Exhibit, INSIEME, at Museo Italo Americano and to experience some hands-on activities.

20

Professional

opportunity for educators to continue to

improved school leadership, and higher student performance.

FEDERICA LENTINI

Early Childhood Director

EDITORIA IN ANTICIPATION of La Scuola’s first Reggio/IB Workshop, a team of preschool faculty decided to publish our first book, or

editoria, on documentation to share with our fellow educators around the globe. The focus of the publication was on documentation

and its critical role in promoting the construction of respectful learning. As a tool for educators, documentation helps construct positive experiences for children. It also provides proof and relevant communication for adults.

In observing and communicating what happens in their environment, we as a school community are able to see the surprising

discoveries in our students’ daily lives as well as the extraordinary events that take place in the classroom. The following is a reflection

of the role documentation plays at La Scuola as it was collected for our book. We hope that you enjoy reading about these moments that have been captured this year!

Documentation: Stories of a Look Autori: ALICE MERLI, ELISA BENASSI, MEGAN ANZUINI,

NORA BUXAREU, SERENA MORELLI

Direttrice: FEDERICA LENTINI

What is Documentation?

“Documentation, as we have developed in Reggio, does not mean to collect documents after the

conclusion of experiences with children but during the

course of these experiences.

For us, documentation is part of the daily life in the schools. It is one

of the ways in which we create and maintain the relationships and the experiences among our colleagues and the children.

We think of documentation as an act of caring, an act of love and

interaction.

We believe that both the teacher and the children are learners.

In the process of learning through documentation, we become aware

of what learning is and its value; we assess it. Therefore, we believe

that assessment is also an integral part of the learning and teaching

process. We believe that the relationship between documentation and assessment is fundamental to our experience” Documentation is interpreted and used

for its value as a tool for recalling; that is, a

The Four Elements of Documentation What is happening?

Description and pedagogical intent

What do we hear?

Conversations and quotes

What do we see?

Meaningful moments

New understandings: Ideas and creations

possibility for reflection.

The educational path becomes concretely

visible through in-depth documentation of the data related to the

activities, making use of verbal, graphic and documentary instruments as well as audiovisual technologies.

In the fragments of Documentation (images, words, signs and

drawings) there is the past, that which took place, but there is also the future (or rather what else can happen if…)

21

What is happening?

What do we hear?

Description and pedagogical intent

Conversations and quotes

A short paragraph helps to document and assess,

to explain and clarify. To highlight clue words, to trace

the path of the learning journey and to keep memory. To better understand what we do and teach, to consolidate concepts, to give details and to deepen ideas.

VERBS, ADJECTIVES AND NOUNS THAT GIVE MEANING What is a family?

It’s a group - Clara It’s the people who keep you safe - Paxton They protect you in fires - Novella

MADE UP WORDS TO COMMUNICATE IN A NEW WAY Trist-ità (combination of the Italian words sadness and happiness, much like sappiness) Questo è tristità. It is happy and then it sadden up there

FRAME

- Joseph

How old were the kids?

GESTURES THAT SPEAK, SOUNDS THAT EXPLAIN

In which environment were they?

Was it only one kid, a pair of kids, a small group or a big group?

Was it a spontaneous activity/game or a structured one?

Were the children using materials they were familiar with or was it the first time?

Love is here (pointing at his chest) - Luka Qualche volta mia cugina prende i gatti e li mette in un posto che a loro piace e prrrrr - Quinn Sometimes my cousin takes the cats to put them in a place they like and prrrrrr - Quinn

Was it a stand alone activity or a phase of an ongoing project?

WORD ANALYSIS Avete mai sentito la parola ‘confine’?

(Have you ever heard the word ‘border’?)

ACTION

It means to not paint out of the lines - Mikio

What was the task?

Fine (from con-fine) means last - Roman

What were the materials offered?

Where the Hawaii stops - Joseph

What kind of language did

It might be the starting line - Roman

the children use?

What skills did the children work on?

Which was the adult’s role?

REFLECTION What did I see?

How did the children interact with the material, with the space and between them?

What kind of reasoning did the children do?

What did they discover?

What kind of connections did the children make?

What kind of learning happened?

No, the finish line - Paxton It’s both! - Mikio

IDEAS THAT INSPIRE THOUGHTS AND ACTIONS Let’s make a salad of flowers for the bees, then we will know which one is their favorite – Ryan

ASSOCIATIONS THAT BROADEN UNDERSTANDING Also the mondo (world) has a border, it’s where it ends - James Mountains have a border, from the bottom to the top - Giulia The woods ha un confine (have a border): the start has some animals, the middle has many animals and the end not so much too - Roman Gli squali (sharks) have a border, it starts from the nose and goes to the tail - Mikio When you start with your food and when you are done - Eli

22

REGGIO EMILIA

EXPRESSING INTENTIONS THROUGH PUNCTUATION I’m making a balena (whale). Let’s do some weird eyelashes ! – Neva

New Understanding Ideas and creations How have we answered the following questions: Checklist

WHAT EMERGED? The leaves of the trees are viola (purple)... so I need carta viola (purple paper) Francesca

A new understanding, a decision, a skill, a tangible product?

HOW DID IT EMERGE? What was the process?

Group/individual, time, environment, materials, languages…

WHAT'S NEXT? How can these new understandings inform our future teaching?

What do we see?

Meaningful moments DRAWINGS

MIXED MEDIA Which are the elements that can help: Synthesize, add value and meaning, involve others in the process?

Description of events and experiences Representations of the world Visible thoughts Stories

Jaiya

by Zachary

Zachary

by Jaiya

PHOTOGRAPHS Which is the focus?

What story do we want to tell?

A skill

A relationship

An emotion A point of view

A concept through body language

A process

A discovery

23

LA SCUOLA NEWS La Scuola's new brand promise, "Open to

the World", a result of year-long work with

distiguished branding firm Mission Minded.

O

VER THE PAST YEAR, La Scuola has been collaborating with Mission

Minded, a branding firm that works exclusively with nonprofit organizations,

to dial in on our messaging and who we are as a Brand, meaning how the world sees us and how we see ourselves.

While La Scuola is already strong in its school curriculum, culture, core

values and mission, we embarked on this journey to be sure we were being as effective as we could be in communicating our points of differentiation.

We also wanted to ensure we are reaching our various communities in the right way, especially as we continue to grow into our new campus

in the Mission!

In our time working together with the Mission Minded team, we have created

several pieces that will be a part of our Marketing and Communications

Toolbox. One is a Brand Book which is an internal communications document around who we say we are as a Brand. We also discovered our Brand Promise, which is at the heart of what’s most important about La Scuola. The Brand Promise we created is: ‘Open to the World.’

In addition we have created Key Messages, which are more

outward facing statements and messages we can incorporate into our website and communications materials—and a newly designed Admissions Viewbook to assist us in sharing the story and experience of

La Scuola with future families. While our logo and mission are unchanged, we have added the Brand Promise “Open to the World’ to our messaging so you

will see it popping up. You will also begin to see changes this summer in the website content where we will further implement our findings and wonderful takeaways from our work with the Mission Minded Team.

24

PAMELA FELLOWS

Marketing and Communications Manager

FAMILY HIGHLIGHTS

LA SCUOLA FAMILIES

DERK HENDRIKSEN and REBECCA MESSINA

with LUCA (Grade 3) and ZARA (Grade 5)

MY HUSBAND DERK AND I met when we were living in Paris, France in 2002. As he is a Dutch native, and I am Italian-American, one of the many things that united us, was a love for Italy. Ultimately getting married in 2006 in Sicily, we then found ourselves moving to Atlanta, Georgia in 2006.

As a multi-cultural home, we agreed at the onset of our having children that we would always pursue an international school with an International Baccalaureate Programme(IB)-based curriculum for our children. We began this journey in 2012, with both of the kids in an IB school in the Spanish immersion track in Atlanta. We then moved to Chicago in 2016, where we continued with the IB curriculum and the Spanish track. We saw firsthand how smooth of a transition the children had given the familiarity of the curriculum and, critically, the mindset of the school.

When we were presented with the opportunity to move to San Francisco in 2018, we knew our only choice was IB. Haunted by moving the children to a third school in their short tenure, we set our sights on La Scuola very early on.

But this time, things were even more complex. While the kids spoke some Italian, they had no formal training and it would be their fourth language (they speak English, Dutch and Spanish) and we were not able to time the move to coincide with the beginning of the 2018-19 school year.

But, La Scuola made it easy. They quickly connected us with amazing families to talk to, assured us that the language acquisition would come easier than we thought,

"THE KIDS COME HOME HAPPY, EVERY DAY."

that they could successfully integrate two kids, at a random week during the school year and promised, at least to me (the one most worried!) that the kids would absolutely survive a third move! On the random day of November 5, 2018, the kids started at La Scuola. My heart broke when they had to enter an already formed classroom, speaking a language they did not yet grasp, but they came home that night with smiles on their faces.

Now, here we are, writing this 7 months later, and we can say they have more than survived—they have thrived.

The kids come home happy, every day. The teachers are phenomenal, the parents a true community.

We are so grateful for the welcome we have received, and honored to be a part of this tremendous community here in San Francisco.

25

LA SCUOLA FAMILIES individual child learns. La Scuola is a very nurturing and healthy environment full of deep learning and thinkers.

Every student at La Scuola inspires not only the teachers, but the families as well, to also be brave learners, thinkers, inquirers in our everyday lives.

Left to right: Sophia (college student), Rebecca (college

student), Analucia (college student) Sergio Perez (parent),

Gloria (10th grader), Maria Romero Perez (parent), Samuel

(college student), Andrea (college student),Felipe (7th grader)

SERGIO and MARIA PEREZ with FELIPE (7th Grade) and his siblings

OUR VIBRANT, CARING, loud, and beautiful family is a very big one as seen from the picture provided. Lots of people have called me a supermom for having 10 pregnancies and having 7 children. Whether we are going out to eat as a family, playing family game nights, or even just watching Netflix movies, we all just love and watch out for each other. At the end of the day, anyone can be a supermom or -dad if they just really are able to commit to being able to listen and learn from their children on how to be a parent. This is all part of the process of being parents, which almost every one of us has gone through. We are a family that enjoys going out together, while enjoying traveling, cooking, Nicaraguan cuisine, and being so grateful for each other.

Our family comes straight from a very rich and deep culture. As immigrants coming from Nicaragua at really young ages, we wanted our children to have the best of everything and wanted to make sure they had the best education and continue to grow and have what they thought was the best for themselves. Each of our children has a unique personality and each is different in his/her own loving way. I think that is something that La Scuola has encompassed in its curriculum—in the way that it is able to nurture every student. Students at La Scuola are able to show their personal best through the way that each

26

Applying to La Scuola honestly felt like no hassle. This was because of all the amazing administration keeping the connection between applicants and the school very strong.

The resources that were given to us were very helpful, and it was amazing to see our Director of Admissions sit with not only me, but Felipe as well, talking through the steps of applying and explaining each form or document. This is what really caught my eye while applying here two years ago. The amount of warm welcomes and “Ciao”s were amazing to see. The day we visited La Scuola, it was as if the school and our family had known each other forever!

At La Scuola, I am happy to say that we commit to the school motto, “Niente senza gioia!” Once we are able to see it on our big school banner in front of our school, we see that taking that step through those wooden doors that this, is a true testimony of La Scuola!

We believe in being very diverse and international, since we come from such a diverse and unique background.

We thought the transition to La Scuola would be tough going from public to private school, but La Scuola truly made it a smooth transition. Also, the fact that our child was going to become trilingual was amazing. The Italian for Felipe was very easy because of his fluency in Spanish.

He felt very comfortable beginning La Scuola in 6th grade.

We recently traveled to Italy for the first time last year, and I was very happy and overjoyed with emotion to see him have a full on conversation with our hotel’s concierge! I asked him “When did you learn all of this?! You’ve only been at this school for 6 months?!” He responded with “Don’t ask me! Ask my teachers!” He says he wouldn’t have been able to make friends with Italian locals and still be in contact with them today if it weren’t for all the teachers at La Scuola that speak to him in Italian every day. But language immersion is just one little big part that makes La Scuola special!

Felipe is now in 7th grade, and he justs loves La Scuola. He volunteers on his own to come with me to help promote this school because it is his way of giving back to what has been given to us. He can now have an almost full conversation in Italian in his second year here, and can recite the first 15 numbers of PI! Since the day he shadowed this school until his last day when he leaves La Scuola with a middle school certificate in his hand with

FAMILY HIGHLIGHTS

a sunflower in the other, he, along with us, will be sad but proud to see him leave La Scuola. But we know that when he eventually is part of the first graduating class of La Scuola, this will all be in thanks to the school staff team and community. We hope that even though next year will be our family’s last year here, that other families stick with and continue to value La Scuola as a place we can all call home!

After evaluating a few options we were drawn to La Scuola due to the Reggio Emilia approach with an emphasis on experiential learning and group activities. In the past year we have seen significant changes in Olivia’s behavior and social skills. She is more inclusive than in the past, happy to share her toys and welcome her friends for sleepovers and playdates.

Getting her to school is a breeze because she looks forward to the “calendario” each morning. One of her favorite activities in the school is in the garden; her favorite time is the lunch hour with the nutritious and delicious food that is cooked everyday from scratch, which is an opportunity for her to experiment new flavors as part of her discovery process.

In the past year she has conversationally adept in Italian.

She knows all the teachers in the Dogpatch Campus and they also know her. She loves the Grandissimi Azzurri teachers Elisa, Silvia and Matthew.

As a family, we love traveling and exploring new places and cultures. We go to Brazil often to be with Olivia’s grandparents and cousins. Olivia’s stomping grounds so far are Disneyland and Hawaii.

We consider ourselves lucky to be part of the La Scuola community and the support group that comes with it. We look forward to seeing Olivia progress through and grow with La Scuola.

GABI and KAL IYER with OLIVIA (Grandissimi Azzurri)

WE ARE A MULTICULTURAL FAMILY born outside

the United States. Kal was born and brought up in India and Gabi in Brazil with Spanish roots. Our daughter, Olivia, is 4 years old and has attended La Scuola for the past 10 months. As an international family, Olivia grew up multilingual and is fluent in English and Portuguese.

As a 3 year old, Olivia attended another preschool for a year. While we were grateful to the preschool teachers for the progress she made, we were concerned that she was not making progress interacting with other kids in the school and the neighborhood. She was very possessive of her belongings and was unwilling to mingle with similar aged neighbor’s kids.

"WE CONSIDER OURSELVES LUCKY TO BE PART OF THE LA SCUOLA COMMUNITY AND THE SUPPORT THAT COMES WITH IT."

27

San Francisco's first IB Reggio Italian Language Immersion School